


Dude... You're never gonna believe me.

by dshep33



Category: Supernatural
Genre: 13.05 coda, 13x05, Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, i'm so happy these idiots are back together, lajoviena;sdhva;oeiaheov;aivao;eianeo;ihg, this episode had me feelin some type of way
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-10
Updated: 2017-11-10
Packaged: 2019-01-31 12:25:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12681855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dshep33/pseuds/dshep33





	Dude... You're never gonna believe me.

The jingle of a cell phone woke him up at around eleven, the catchy tune jolting him out of his dreams. Dean answered it with an uninterested “yeah?” but said nothing after that. Sam stared at him. His face morphed from one expression to another in rapid succession, telling a story of at first skepticism, then confusion, alarm, and finally hesitant joy.

“Yeah, okay. We’re on our way. Don't - don’t move. We’ll come to you. Damn it’s good to hear your voice again.” His finger tapped once on the phone screen, signaling the end of the call. It was a solid minute before Dean dared to turn toward his brother, a shaky smile on his face and unshed tears in his eyes.

“Who was that?” Sam asked curiously. It’s seldom that any phone call can keep his brother so speechless, yet have him so full of emotion after a minute and a half of what seemed like nothing.

“Dude, you are _never_ gonna believe me.”The car lurched forward as Dean hit the gas, taking the speed from sixty-five up to around ninety. Dean rolled down his window and, seemingly not caring about what time it was, turned his music on to a deafening volume.

Sam’s perplexity grew to the point that he could do nothing but stare. This man had been so somber and moody for _weeks_ , yet here he was with cold November air blasting into his face, his crappy 80’s music roaring over the rush of the wind, and _tears_ gently sliding down his cheeks as they flew down the highway.

Sam turned the music off, not taking his eyes off of Dean. Dean shot him a look, and he motioned to roll the window up.

“Okay, what gives? You’ve been stoic for ages and now you suddenly feel like blasting your music with the window down? And what’s with the water-works?” Sam couldn’t help but huff out a laugh at the sight. “Who _was_ that on the phone, Dean?”

“Who do you think, Sam? It was Cas! He’s okay!” A giant smile erupted on his face, but it didn’t fully reach his eyes. Experience kept his joy from being full; to often had things like this been a ploy by some vengeful entity. “At least it sounded like him, and dammit that’s enough for me right now.”

Sam was temporarily dumbstruck. “H-how? I mean we-”

“I know. I know, Sam. _Believe_ me, I know. Just... he told me where he is, let’s go see if it’s actually him, okay? If it is, then great! I-we’ve got Cas back.”

“And if it isn’t?”

“Then we send whatever son of a bitch thought it would be okay to impersonate him straight to hell.” Dean reached for the volume knob on the radio. “In the mean time let me _hope_ , asshole.”

They drove the rest of the way there not saying anything, instead content to just let the wind and the music drown out their fears. Sam was excited, _elated_ even, to not only see his best friend again but for the chance of seeing Dean actually smile. A part of him would not let him rest, though. A part of him doubted. How could it be Cas? They watched him die. They _burned his body_. That which burns stays dead. For Dean’s sake, he kept his thoughts to himself, but mentally started preparing. What could look and sound like another person? The list seemed endless; shifters, skinwalkers, demons, angels... if it wasn’t Cas, then what was it?

 

They sped past the turn-off to the bunker, instead hauling all the way to Wichita. Dean never stopped, hardly slowed down, didn’t even seem to blink. As each mile flew by and each hour blinked past, though, Sam’s apprehension grew. He couldn't stand to think of what Dean might do if it _wasn’t_ Cas. He’d already technically killed himself once in the past day. Who’s to say he wouldn’t hesitate to do it again?

He rolled his window down, too - deciding instead to revel in the excitement and Dean’s elation rather than doubt. What would come would come, and like his elder brother said; if it _is_ Cas, then thank God.

Dean navigated the city with practiced ease, steering them into ever less congested sections. Finally, they pulled into some bygone alley, lit by nothing but a faint street lamp and a half-lit neon sign that said TELEPHONE in a sputtering cherry red.

Under that light and in front of that sign stood a man with a shock of dark brown hair, wearing a trench coat that looked familiar yet somehow _different_. Dean’s hands were shaking bad enough to hardly be able to turn off the lights, much less the car itself.

They climbed out, neither one daring to take their eyes off of the specter before them. Slowly, the man turned around, revealing tan skin, eyes like sapphire, a crooked tie set on a white dress shirt. It was Cas. At least, it _looked_ like Cas.

Sam stood there, stunned. It couldn’t be him. It _wasn’t_ him. Whoever - whatever - it was, they got the coat wrong, they got the tie wrong. They were close, but it was just enough to be... not right. He smiled, but instinctively rested a hand on the grip of his pistol.

Dean was a mess. They stared at each other in that age-old way that they used to, their faces alone telling stories about what they’ve done, where they've been, how they've felt. Stories that words never could seem to express, no matter how much Sam begged both of them to just sit down and talk it out. What seemed like an hour passed, but it couldn’t have been more than just a second or two.

Finally, Dean choked out one word; “C-Cas?” And with that, the world seemed to shatter. They were both on the verge of tears, Dean and this doppelgänger, but Sam still doubted.

“Hello, Dean.” Came the response that seemed so natural at this point it was almost instinctive. “Sam,” came a split second later, making even _his_ lower lip tremble a little. The acknowledgment was little more than perfunctory, though, as the man’s attention was fully enwrapped by Dean.

He walked forward slowly, hesitantly. Cas mirrored him in every way- hesitant at first, but picking up speed as they drew closer. Finally, they crashed together in a haze of silent tears and unspoken stories. Only when he watched his brother embrace the angel did Sam actually let himself believe it was Cas. _Only_ Cas could get so close to Dean, _only_ Cas could make him so emotional.

Sam sat back and watched as the two hung on to each other, whispering quietly to themselves as they forgot the world around them existed. Dean muttered something and Cas snorted in laughter, then turned and kissed him gently on the cheek. Even in the poor lighting and the distance, Sam could see Dean turn beet red. They broke apart after a couple more moments, Cas turning finally toward Sam, while Dean adamantly refused to turn around. Sam smiled wider than he had in what seemed like forever and hugged the seraph tightly, grinning as he was hugged back by arms neither of them ever thought they’d feel again.

“Cas! How? I mean how are you-”

“I don’t know, Sam. I was in the Empty, and then I was awake and after a while I was here. I don’t know how it happened but-”

“Who cares how it happened? You’re here now and that’s all that matters.” Dean’s elated voice rang out. “Let’s get you home. You’ll probably wanna meet Jack.”

“Jack? He’s still alive?”

“Yeah. Apparently archangel-spawn is hard to get rid of.”

“He’s not _spawn_ , Dean. He's just a kid.” Sam scoffed.

“Whatever man. Hey, you mind drivin’ us home? I’m kinda tired.” Dean said, but his eyes told a different story. _Please,_ they said. _For me._

 _Of course,_ came the response. “Yeah, no problem.” He caught the keys as Dean tossed them to him, and they quickly switched sides. Dean, Sam noticed, deigned to sit in the back seat. Cas, Sam noticed, did too.

The entire ride home was quiet. The music was off, the windows were up, and the only sounds were the gentle roars and purrs of the engine, mixed together with Cas and Dean’s snores as they slept in each other’s arms. Despite being asleep, they both were smiling. Whenever Sam glanced back at them, he couldn’t help but smile too.


End file.
